


Foster child

by Sandentwins



Series: Tales of Earth and Alternia [4]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: M/M, Pseudo-Incest, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-20
Updated: 2013-07-21
Packaged: 2017-12-20 19:27:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/890980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sandentwins/pseuds/Sandentwins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two distinct worlds, Earth and Alternia. One day, a little wriggler is found and adopted by humans. But can a troll live among people who don't understand them? Especially if this troll is the last hope of the Alternian rebellion...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place in the late 1930's Altownia, before the Closing of the Portals.

The woman was running under the rain, the 'package' in her hands. With her face hidden by a green hood, she was trying to hold back her tears while she ran to hide. This world wasn't hers, but it was the only one where he could find his place. She had arrived there by one of the hidden portals that were providing an access between Earth and Alternia.  
The green woman finally stopped in an alley between two buildings. The rain hadn't fallen there, but the place was dark and cold. Checking to make sure no one was around, she put the 'package' in a box on the ground.  
The wriggler started to cry.  
She wrapped him in her green veil, kissed his nubby little horns, and sang for him.

"You're my little angel fallen from the sky  
Missing your feathery soft wings..."

He calmed down slightly, but still was crying out loud.

"I know I'll be forgotten with time  
But you have to know I'll always be with you..."

He looked at her with red eyes, silently sobbing.

"Don't let the distance tear us apart  
I will watch over you until you pass away..."

She slowly put him in the box, as he was closing eyes.

"And keep me forever in your sweet, pure heart  
Just like you'll stay in mine..."

He finally was asleep. She kissed him one last time, put a letter in his cover, then ran away crying.  
In his carton bed, the wriggler was shivering. But he wasn't cold; he felt that something had happened.

"Mommy..." he mumbled in his sleep.

\---

The rain was thick. Outside, people were running under the water falling. On the bus window pane I kept my head pressed on, droplets were racing to the bottom. I watched one as it slalomed on the glass, swallowing other raindrops, before disappearing out of sight. I took some papers from my suitcase, readjusting my square glasses on my nose while reading. I had a lot of work to do for next week, and I'd better be on time or else my boss would be upset again. My work as an accountant in a state-known bank had never been easy. What I've always wanted to be was an explorer , but I never got the chance nor the time to realize my dream. When the bus stopped, I went out on the street. My house was just two streets away, and I needed to walk after a hard day sitting at my desk. I hadn't an umbrella, but the rain didn't matter. All of a sudden, two kids rushed next to me with their bikes and made me fall to the side. Besting these vandals, I was about to stand up, when I heard crying.  
I looked in the alley I fell in. It was dark and cold, but there was nobody around. That's when I saw something moving in an old box, next to a trash bin. I carefully walked to the carton, and saw a green veil covering what probably was a puppy or a cat. I took the edge of the soft, unknown fabric, and pulled it aside. Underneath was the weirdest thing I've ever seen, and I jumped back.  
A red fuzzy caterpillar, big as a puppy, with an human head. Around its neck was a silver chain necklace, with a strange symbol as a pendant. Its skin was light grey, its hair was black and it had little golden horns. Its carmine red eyes were leaking pale, red tears. Despite its short fur, it was shivering from the cold. I reached out to it, watching for its sharp little teeth. The animal didn't move for a second, then fell on my hand. Its red body was fluffy, but also muddy and cold. I carefully took it on my knees, and petted its head like a kitten. It found its way in my coat, and a nest in my inner pocket. My heart melted. I held the caterpillar against me, keeping it out of the rain, and ran to my house.  
When I opened the door, John was the first to greet me. Aged two years old, he was already walking, and sometimes babbling what could be understood as 'mummy' and 'daddy'. He hugged my legs, and I kissed him on the forehead. Jane, my wife for four years, was apparently busy in the kitchen. I went to my room, and wrapped the caterpillar in a towel. It was sleeping. I put it on a pillow and left it here.

"Jake?" Jane asked when she saw me worrying.

"-Jane...please come up here. I have to show you something."

But when I walked back up, the larva had disappeared. I searched for it for a few long minutes, under Jane's perplexed regard.

"Is...everything alright?", she asked.

"-Yes. Just...wait a minute please."

The caterpillar hid really well. I could find it only when I heard John downstairs.  
He and the wriggler were cuddling, or rather, John was using it as a plush. Jane screamed, but I told her to calm down. The insect wasn't doing anything to harm the boy. It was just playing.  
Like a human baby.

\---

With the first surprise finished, the thing seemed less creepy. It was like a red grub with horns. Well, it was a grub. What I now feared the most was that John could catch nasty germs.

"Wh...where did you find it?" I asked Jake.

"-It was alone in the street. It...he was dying of cold!"

"-'He'? How can you tell it's a boy?"

"-I don't know."

This carefree mind was one of Jake's biggest flaws, but also what was making him so adorable. I knelt to the babies and carefully touched the grub's messy hair. It wasn't trying to bite me. I ran a finger over its necklace, looked at the grey Cancer pendant.

"What are we gonna do with him?", I questioned.

"-Keep him, that's obvious. Please Jane, at least until he finds his parents!"

He was talking like a 5 year old boy asking his mom if he can keep the lost puppy he found. Accepting would be the beginning of a lot of troubles, but refusing would too. I didn't know what to do. I looked at the caterpillar, who was snuggling in John's arms. He was cute, but could he be raised like an human baby? I knew Jake would never talk to me again if I told him I wanted to abandon the creature on the street.

"...alright." I sighed. "But only until we find his parents."

He kissed me really tenderly. The wriggler made a cute squeal.

"What are we gonna name him?", he asked.

I looked at the red being. He was glaring at us, as if he understood. Then, he made some odd noises.

"Krrrr...kat."

Jake's eyes lit up, as if he had an idea.

"Karkat." he said.

The wriggler cuddled his foot. From now on, little Karkat would live with us.

\---

House is warmer than rain. Man nice. Boy funny. Lady smell sweet.  
I miss mommy. I feel her in danger. I feel hurt. I hold collar in my hand. It reminds me of mommy. She gave it to me, and I must keep it.  
Lady puts me in hot water with bubbles. I pop a bubble and I giggle. Smells good and I sneeze. Boy laughs with me.  
Man put me in soft bed. I grab mommy's green cover. It smells like mommy.  
Boy hugs me. I like boy. He likes me. He smells good too.  
He wraps arm around me. His fingers strokes my fur. It's soft.  
He smiles with teeth out of mouth. He whispers.

"Brother."

I smile too. The boy make me happy.

"'rother..."

I sleep. I hope after I sleep I can find mommy. And we'll be happy.  
But I can't leave brother.

\---

I read the paper, still skeptical. It was a letter I found in Karkat's cover. An unknown handwriting, and a mix of Latin alphabet and an unknown one. The green words were saying, from what I could decipher, that whoever had written this had to abandon the wriggler because they were being pursued. They wanted him to be happy and us to be kind to him. The letter had the scent of an elegant woman's perfume. It hadn't any signature but a symbol I recognized to be Virgo. I put the letter in a folder with all of the important documents as identity papers and letters, and hid it so Jake wouldn't find it.  
If Karkat wants to know about his real family some years later, it'll be his only way to know who he really is.


	2. My grandmother

I looked at my watch. 8:37 am. I had to speed up to not be late. I drank my coffee without a break, took my suitcase, and kissed my dear wife, my son John, and after a second of hesitation, Karkat. For the year he had lived with us, life had changed considerably. Especially for John. They wouldn't leave each other for more than a second, always playing together. Like brothers. The boy was trying to teach the grub to talk, even if himself couldn't articulate properly. In return, Karkat was amusing John by walking on the walls. This little wriggler had a lot of inhuman abilities, such as spitting some odd silky material when he was angry. Hopefully, he wouldn't be angry often. John once had taken off his necklace accidentaly, and that made him burst into tears and loud screeches. Even after he finally got it back, he couldn't stop sobbing. Besides this, he wouldn't cry. When he was hungry (he could eat human baby food) or needed a diaper change (we had to buy newborn sized ones to fit his little legs), his only reaction was to squeak. The boys were sleeping in the same bed, which was large enough for them both. Well, until today.  
When I came back home after work, I found a very worried John and an even more worried Jane. They weren't talking. For a second, I thought something had happened. I walked upstairs to the boys' room...and found a red cocoon set up in a corner of the cradle. Jane then told me that it was natural, as Karkat was a caterpillar. But she hadn't any idea of what he could turn into; what if he was a mutant butterfly or something like that? And on top of all, how big could he become? For the next two weeks, John almost never left his brother, still sleeping next to Karkat's chrysalis, softly talking to him in his inaccurate language. He wanted him to come back very soon, and those words were just too cute to hear. But while he was 'asleep', Jane and I had to rearrange their bedroom. John was growing up as well, and needed to sleep in a real bed. She found my idea of putting two beds side by side cute, so the kids could cuddle each other at night without feeling squished. This led to a lot of other questions; could Karkat be raised like a human? Could he go to school without being hunted? Could he talk and walk on two legs?  
These questions... only time would answer them.

\---

The cocoon's wall was starting to tear up. I sat next to it, whispering softly to the whatever-was-inside like John did. I was, like Jake, a bit afraid that Karkat would turn into a dangerous insect. But this bug, whatever it'll be, will have feelings, or at least I hope it will. The red hard silk filled with cracks as the time was passing by. Next to me, Jake and John were watching, not saying anything. Finally, after a half-hour of waiting, a hand burst out of the chrysalis. A light grey hand, with five fingers and nails, big as a baby's hand. Like when an egg hatches, the child slowly found its way out of the cocoon. I realized I had never gotten the chance to see him hatch from his egg (if he had one), so this was like his rebirth. Four limbs (the two middle grub legs now being just atrophied profusions stuck to his sides), grey skin, no wings. I covered Karkat's shivering body with his green cover, and he hugged me. He still had his horns and impossible to brush hair, only his eyes had changed; they now were yellow with grey irises. Karkat then turned to John, and reached out to him. The two boys cuddled like they always used to do. And for the first time, I heard Karkat talking.

"Hi, brother. I'm...so happy to see you."

Jake and I couldn't hold a smile. I put some clothes on him, relieved that he could now wear John's old ones without needing holes for wings or extra arms.

"Mom...where is my collar?" the child asked.

For the first time, he called me his mom. My heart melted. I looked in his little eyes, and realized how much he was looking like an human now. I took his necklace in the dresser I put it in before Karkat crafted his cocoon, and put it around his neck. He kissed the Cancer pendant, which (I had the time to examine it closer during his pupation) was engraved on the back with some of the unknown letters I had read on his mother's letter. He looked around, as if he was seeing the room for the first time.

"How long have I slept?"

"About two weeks", I answered.

He looked at what was left of the red cocoon, stroking it softly. He kissed me on the cheek, and then ran outside to play with John.  
Usually, John and he were playing in the back garden, out of strangers' sight. But now Karkat was more human-looking, I thought about going outside with the boys, like a lot of mothers do with their children. I just needed to hide Karkat's skin color and horns to not scare people. When I talked to Jake about it, he just told it was up to me, but that he was okay with it, as long as we had fun. Because that's what a family does by spending time together.

\---

Mom told me to hold her hand as we walk. She had put a cap on my horns to hide them, because she says some people could be scared. I understand; I don't look like any of the people around me. They are tall, have different-colored hair and fancy clothes. I see some furry animals walking on four legs, big or small, brown or black. Mom says these are dogs. Next to me, John is playing with his ball. Dad carries a little basket with food. He doesn't have his tie today, because he says he doesn't have to work on Sundays. At the park, there are a lot of little humans. Some have long hair and skirts. I hold Mom's hand tighter. We sit on the grass. I touch the ground, it's soft. A little bug climbs on my hand. I'm not scared of bugs. It's red with black dots. I want to touch it, but it flies away. John is still with me. He picks a flower for me, and I giggle. Dad tells us to stay close to them. I see another bug running, and follow it. I crawl on the grass to catch it, but suddenly the ant hides under a foot. I raise my head, and see another little human.  
It's a girl. Her hair is brown. She got green eyes, and she smiles. I stand up; she's smaller than me. She takes my hand, and sees my grey skin. She isn't scared. She puts her hand on my hat, and touches my horns. This feels good. Next to me, John tells her to go away. I say that it doesn't matter. She keeps touching my horns to my good-feeling slight shivers. She takes my hat off, and giggles. I'm scared that someone else could see I'm not like them. But the girl doesn't says anything bad. My name's Natalia she says. Mine is Karkat I answer. You got cute horns she chuckles. Thank you I mutter. Kat, mom is calling us John cuts in. Alright I say. The girls gives my my hat back. Her mom calls her. I sit with my family on the picnic carpet and take a sandwich. I smile while eating. I made a new friend and she wasn't scared of me.  
I'm maybe not so different from the others after all.

\---

"Where is he? Where!?"

"-I swear I don't know what you're talking about!"

The green woman was lying on the ground, in a puddle of her own blood. The purple giant had beaten her nearly to death, and still had the club in hand.

"I have killed the rebel. The savage went the same way. All of your friends are dead. Now tell me where is the damn mutant grub!!!"

He hit her again. She screamed in pain, but she wouldn't reveal anything. The child has to be protected. His powers couldn't be wasted. She spit in his face.

"Never!"

The club rose in the air, and fell right above her head.

In an other dimension, a child suddenly wakes up in the middle of the night. He grabs his green veil and buries his head in. He cries, not knowing the reason, but he knows something had happened. Something terrible. On the tip of his fingers, little red sparks crackle as he cries.


	3. My father

"Pencils?", Jake asked.

"-In the case.", I answered.

"-Notebooks?"

"-The bags are all packed."

"-Don't forget your plushes, kids."

John showed his bunny toy, and Karkat his green veil.

"It seems that our little boys are ready for their first school day!"

The children were now about 6 years old. Karkat and John's brotherly bond had gone stronger with the time. They were always together, not leaving each other for more than five minutes. John was always protecting his little sibling from the dangers of the world and daily problems. For example, he was helping the troll to accept his difference.  
Because I knew he was a troll. It was in the letter. I made some research about this race, and found some similar cases elsewhere. I had to read fancy and weird newspapers to have informations; they all were talking about hidden portals between Earth and another planet, conspirations and alien creatures. If it weren't for Karkat's sake, I wouldn't have believed them, but I still was sceptical.  
They were right on some points: the trolls aren't aggressive toward humans, except if we attack them first. A quick way to calm them down was to press at the base of their horns, making them immediately fall asleep. They could eat human food, and were fond of candies, but they prefer meat. Some had psychic powers due to their blood color.  
Karkat's blood was bright red. I never have seen him using any kind of powers, and I hope I'll never. It was better for hiding, and living peacefully in the middle of the humans. But the letter said that-

"Mom, quick!", John suddenly cut.

I realized I was still drifting in my thoughts. I put the kids' lunch in their bags, then walked to the car with Jake. He had an interrogative look at me.

"Janey...sure this is safe?“, he asked.

I sighed. He had questioned me like this since the day I told him I wanted Karkat to live like an human child.

"Yes. Don't be afraid, I'm sure it'll be alright."

This was addressed to me rather than Jake.

\---

There are a lot of children there, with their parents, crying, laughing, playing on the many swings, or just existing. I was holding my brother's hand, knowing that many were looking at me. I was wearing my grey hat, hiding my horns. I had my parents behind me, ready to protect me from any dangers, my brother next to me to comfort me, and my legacy to remember who I was.  
Because this green veil, neatly folded in my backpack, and my zodiac necklace I was proudly showing, these were everything I had from my genitors. I wasn't stupid; there wasn't anybody looking like me in this world. The only time I have asked why to my mother, she answered that I was a bit of different, but still a living creature that had the feelings, needs and thoughts of any human. People can have white, black or yellow skin, so my grey was what she called 'a normal difference'. For my horns and yellow nails, she have taught me that some humans are born with physical particularities, like a sixth finger, humps on the back, but that they could despite it have a normal life. My most awkward question wasn't, contrary to other childrens' famous 'how are babies made' (John asked it first), but rather:

"Am I a boy or a girl?"

My father had to explain us what makes a boy and what makes a girl, especially under the panties. Especially where I had both. When I was younger and freshly pupated, my mother almost screamed of fear seeing my genitals. I still hadn't got a clear answer from any of them, so I have to trust John when he says I'm a boy. Afterall, I like playing soccer more than puppets. And I like Natalia too.  
I knew what love is. And I knew I wasn't in love. But Natalia is very kind with me, accepting me how I am without asking any questions. She's my friend since I'm 3 years old, but sometimes her hand goes under my hat, strokes my horns, and that makes me feel very good. My whole body goes numb, and I purr. She likes when I do this awful cat noise, for an unknown reason. She likes my odd-colored skin, my queer eyes...she likes me. And I like her back, but I don't love her. There's a difference. Maybe because I was a girl, and girls usually don't love other girls? I don't know. At least, she's here.  
And she's in my class. I sit behind her, John next to me. The other children in the room notice my grey hands I quickly hide in my pockets. I hide more under my hat, feeling the necklace's metal chain on my skin. I glance to the silvery pendant, still shining despite the fact I never have taken it off. The foreign symbols engraved have always fascinated me. I spent hours trying to decipher these, wondering if it could be a clue about my origins. I only have distinguished four sentences, two on each half of the Cancer sign. But I didn't know at all what these could mean. I ran a finger on the iron pendant, slowly, like if it was made of a precious crystal. It maybe wasn't crystal, but it was precious.

"Karkat..." John's voice suddenly whispered.

I raised my head, and saw the teacher's face. She was a blonde woman with purple eyes, looking stern but caring.

"You're in the classroom, young boy. So please take your hat off."

I hesitated, swallowing hardly. Everyone was looking at me. John softly grabbed my arm, like to say 'It's alright'. I reached out to my cap's peak, and pulled it off, revealing my candy-colored horns to the whole class. I heard surprised noises, scared ones, and the voice of my brother telling the others I wasn't dangerous. I looked in Mrs Lalonde's eyes, my gaze clearly saying 'See why I was keeping it?'. But she hadn't any other reaction than telling the class to stop talking and take our notebooks.  
The next hours, I felt some curious pupils staring at me. During the break, some went to me, fascinated, to touch my horns and sharp teeth (I denied for that one, it was too dangerous; childs were careless!), asking me all sort of silly questions like if I was hunting animals to eat them, if I had a tail, or any other peculiarities. I politely answered to all, until the bell rang. This afternoon, less kids seemed interested in me. I got one, two, three curious glances, but nothing much.  
They don't see me as a menace. They have accepted me.

\---

I sat on the bench, sipping my orange juice as I watched the other kids playing in the court. John left me some minutes to go to the toilet. Two weeks passed by since the first class day, which hadn't been too much of a disaster.  
Contrary to this day.  
I threw the empty juice bottle in the trashbin, in a corner of the court. When I turned around, I saw two boys from the upper classes in front of me. I tried to pass by them, but a fist in the stomach sropped me. I fell on the ground.

"Sup there, weirdo.", one of them said.

He kicked my ribs. I felt the pain running through my entire body as I was trying to stand up.

"Disgusting freak!", the other mocked.

He suddenly pulled my horn, making me shout of pain. But no one was hearing me; I was in a well-hidden corner, at the hands of these bad guys. I felt another fist, my nose bleeded. I couldn't help to cry, making them laugh and hit harder, treating me all kind of names, saying I was an animal, a disgusting mutation, a reject. They threw some of the trashbin's content on me, hit again, but suddenly I heard a little metallic sound. I put a hand on my neck. The chain had disappeared. I saw the shining pendant, in the middle of the garbage.  
My legacy!  
Rage was burning inside of me. A rage I never have known before. I felt my blood boiling in my veins, my hands suddenly heating up so much they were burning. I wiped off the blood from my nose, and stood up in front of the bullies. On my finger, the blood bead moved. Slowly, it rose by itself in the air, drawing an odd arabesque right above my hand. But instead of curves, there were blades.  
Blades made of blood. I didn't think, and threw it to the closer guy. I felt like an electric shock running through my hand as I was creating a multitude of other little red tree branches I was throwing on the guys. Red sparks filled the air, buzzing, cracking. I was doing this in defense, not wanting to hurt. But as I was using my blood to attack them, I realized that I wanted the opposite. I wanted to attack, to hurt, to see them cry. They ran away out of fear, and I fell in the middle of the rubbish, grabbing my precious necklace. I smiled, hearing pressed footsteps before passing out.

\---

"Did you heard the rumor?"

"-The heir is still alive!"

"-They say he's hidden somewhere where the Highbloods won't find it."

"-Do you think he'll come back?"

"-His powers are dangerous, but can save us."

"-Praise the Sufferer, my friends. Pray for his heir."

"-I hope he'll learn to use his abilities..."

Whispers were flying like birds between the lowbloods. Mutters, secrets, rumors of the Signless' descendant being still alive. Even if some were totally stupid and ill-founded, the ones about a special power were the most heard. The ones talking about something so powerful that the only troll to have possessed it had been executed without using it, out of fear of losing control. A power that can be both of destructive and creative.  
They give it many names. But the most known one is Red Miles.


	4. My sister

"Hey John, catch!" Karkat chuckled as he threw the ball to me.

I hit it with the baseball bat, before running like a madman to the first base. I saw the other team's guys trying to catch me, but I dived right in time to touch the white book with my foot. We were playing baseball with a bunch of friends in the park. Karkat had learned the rules very easily, and was pretty gifted for the game with his strong hands and agile legs. For four years, he had been quite popular at school. He hadn't any difficulties with all the lessons and exercises, but his favorite class was sports. I never would have believed he could jump this high or run for hundreds of meters without feeling tired. That's why everyone wanted him in their sports club. He and I had chosen baseball: it was what he liked the most. We were training for the soon-to-come interscholastic championship. At the end of the match, we all fell on the grass, exhausted, Karkat's team having won by 12-7. My brother was unbeatable. If you wanted to strife with him, you'd have to be aware of his fists. Ever since the two biggest assholes of the school humiliated him four years ago, he was always training, practicing his fighting skills. Late in the evening, he would punch on that poor sandbag until he couldn't anymore. I was often fighting with him for training, because I had trouble with those guys, too. Hopefully, they have learned their lesson since Karkat had used the Strings of Death. He never told me what happened that day, and I didn't understand the extent of his powers until this evening. From my room's window, I saw him practicing in secret in the garden. He cut his palm to let some blood drip, then used it to create various red shapes in the air, to my great surprise. His body was wincing, like it was going through an electric shock. The more large and complex his 'tree' was, the more blood he was using. And when he tried to make it disappear, he passed out. I ran outside out of fear something bad had happened. My parents had worried and surprised expressions when they saw me carrying my unconscious brother to our room, but I couldn't give any explanation. As Karkat was sleeping, a light red aura surrounded his body. Was it something every creature like him could do? Was it dangerous? Nobody knew the answers, but it had to stay secret.

\---

The place is warm, so warm. I wave my arms in the air to catch a flying bug. My arms are thin, black, without hands. My vision is blurry. I hear voices around me.

"He's so cute! No doubt he's your child, Kankri," a lady says happily.

"-You're embarassing me, mother," the man answers.

"-What will we name him?“ a second woman asks. Silence for a few seconds, then the younger woman holds me in her arms. She smells like the fur of wild animals, the forests, the ashes of the campfires.

"Karkat."

I giggle, then try to repeat it.

"Krr-kat."

"Are you sure, Meulin?" the man asks.

His scent is different. The sea? The sweat of hours of running to escape? He is imposant but talks softly. He pats my head, and I chew his finger. I heard some cute 'awwwww's. They cuddle me for several long minutes, and I feel home. I feel safe with them. I feel a third pair of hands holding me. The elder woman smells like newborn wrigglers and bugs, but also something good. She cuts a piece of the long striped green veil on her shoulders, and wraps it around me like a cover.

"Karkat...", the man suddenly mutters to me. "You have to be strong. Let Porrim care for you. Your mother and I won't be here, but we will do everything possible to keep you alive. Everywhere you are, there are friends you can count on."

As if to confirm what he said, an unknown hand ruffles my messy hair, which becomes covered in static electricity. The young boy smells like motor oil and sea, and talks with some lisp.

"Kankri boy, do you realize this's maybe the last time he'll see you?“ he asked.

"-I'm fully aware of it, Mituna. The Highbloods will find us soon. We will do everything possible to survive while Porrim hides with the child."

He kisses me on the forehead, and holds me against him. The young woman joins him, and they both hug me tenderly. I feel sadness in their voices, their gestures.

"Good bye, my son.", the man says, breaking the embrace to both mine and his own regret.

I look at his eyes. They're the purest red I've ever seen, and they are crying. I climb up on his shoulder and brush the tear away, making some 'shoosh' noises. He looks at me, I look at him. The other adults look at us. His horns are the same as mine. He can't help but cry even more as I shoosh and pap his face.

"That's...good, Karkat. Don't let the rage take over. Remember that the right words can calm everyone."

With these words, he puts me back in the jade woman's arms. I call him, but he doesn't turn around. The green woman takes me away from them, I hear her crying. I cry too, and my tears fall on the ground like raindrops.

"Don't cry, please...", she softly whispers to me. "You have to be strong...Karkat."

\---

"Karkat? Hey Karkat, wake up!"

I woke up from my dream. Around my bed, John and my father were staring at me. I stretched a little and sat in the bed, having fully recovered from last night's experience. I tried to remember my dream, to no avail. I checked to be sure that my legacy was still around my neck, then stood up.

"What happened, Karkat?", my dad asked.

"-I made a huge mistake. I promise I won't do it anymore."

They stayed surprised. On my finger, the knife wound I made had disappeared. I wanted to ask John about it, but our mom, entering in the room, cut me before I could even talk.

"I have good news for you, boys."

It was our turn to be surprised. Mom had a large smile.

"John, Karkat..." she began.

Dad giggled, as if he knew what was next. This was both scary and suspenseful. She then put a hand on her belly.

"...I have good news: you will soon have a little sibling!"

At first I didn't react, contrary to John who made a weird squeaking sound. Then I realized how much fun it would be to have a baby with us. I could teach him things, comfort him at night, play with him like John and I used to do when we were younger.

"This is so great," I said out of happiness.

On the tip of my fingers, a translucent red steam appeared. Only I noticed it. Suddenly, my hand moved of its own, and touched my mother's belly. On her hand, the little scald she got this morning disappeared. She blinked in surprise, and I returned her smile. I didn't know why, but for one second, my foster mother had the same scent as my genetic mother. I felt really good, and hugged her, along with John. Under my hand, I felt something move slightly.

\---

Sitting on a tree branch, watching the scene through the window, the young troll was writing on a paper in Alternian language. He had watched over the heir in secret for sweeps. Today, the child with red blood had made an incredible demonstration of his powers. According to the legend, the one who controls both the Red Miles and the Red Inches -one being destructive, the other being healing- would surpass the Emperess herself and free the race of trolls from her tyranny. But the Sufferer, who had the same powers, denied his abilities and tried a more peaceful method, to no avail. His descendant now had to deal with this duty. The copper-blooded sentinel put his observation paper in a little pouch he tied around the neck of his featherbeast pet.

"Fly to the portal. Give this to the Neophyte, then come back. Our mission isn't complete."

The black and white bird nodded before taking off. It flew between the trees, the buildings, the few people outside under the night sky, and landed on a large stone in the park. It was a strange monolithic structure, about 10 feet high, and that used to be white like marble. But as ivy took over with centuries, no one could read the foreign symbols engraved. The bird waited for the moon to reappear. Slowly, the stone lit up in the moonlight, and the plants pushed aside, to let the featherbeast enter the stone. It didn't crash; on the other side of the portal, in a totally alternate world, a woman dressed in red and blue was waiting for it. She read the message, and smiled in relief.

"The heir will be ready soon. It's only good news."

The bird chirped as an answer.

\---

She is calling me. I'm running to her. I know that she has the answers I'm looking for. She's the same as what I remember: short, long-haired, dressed in black and olive green. Her scent reminds me wild flowers and undergrowth. She's my mother, the one who gave birth to me. I hug her as tight as I can, knowing that this instant is too much of a dream to be real.

"Karkat...", she mutters before kissing my cheeks. "I can't believe you're here. The last time I've seen you...you were a newborn."

"-I know...I remember. I have so many questions right now...who am I? Where do I come from? Why did you abandoned me?"

She puts a finger on my mouth, and makes a 'shoosh'-like noise. I notice her white, void-like eyes.

"Karkat, there are people that want to kill you. You had to escape, so your father and I gave you to your grandmother. You are a troll like me, and you have great powers. You need to use them in the name of justice."

Her eyes go to my legacy, which I'm still wearing.

"They have attributed this symbol to your father after his death."

"-His what!?" I asked, shocked.

"-He had been executed for treachery. I don't want you to have the same fate, Karkat."

I ran a finger over the pendant. My father, a traitor?

"More like a rebel," my mother replied to my thoughts.

She turned the Cancer sign around, showing the unknown letters. To my great surprise, I suddenly realized I could understand what they were saying.

"He carries all our pain And one day his strife is forgotten We are without love or virtue However we are forgiven"

"What does it mean?" I asked.

"-You'll have to find it by yourself. Remember, Karkat; everywhere you are..."

"-There are friends I can count on."

She kissed me on the forehead, and hugged me a last time before disappearing in the gloom.

"I love you, Karkat."

I smiled as she vanished in my arms, and couldn't hold back my tears.

"I love you...mother."

\---

The pendant was shining with the light of the moon. Next to me, John was sleeping peacefully. I read the symbols for the thousandth time since I woke up, finally knowing what they meant.  
'He carries all our pain'. My father had sacrificed himself for the troll race.  
'But one day his strife is forgotten'. People treated him as a traitor.  
'We are without love or virtue'. ...I don't know.  
'However we are forgiven'. He was angry, but forgave them. In his case, I would too.  
In his case. Was I ready to accept this bargain, to be the leader of the rebel trolls? In every case, I would never die. Dying is for cowards. For a quarter of second, I felt someone looking at me through the window. The only one I saw was a bird...and bronze eyes hidden in the tree. My only reaction was to smile at them. In a second, they had disappeared.


	5. My brother

I watched both mine and John's half-naked reflections in the bathroom's mirror, still perplexed about what I was seeing.

"You sure it's normal to suddenly change like this?", I asked him.

"Of course, Karkat," he answered in his deep voice. "It's puberty."

Five more years have gone by, making us about fifteen now. My brother and I have left childhood, and our growing bodies were showing it. I wasn't the little twig-thin child I had been all my life anymore. I had more muscles, larger shoulders and slightly longer horns, but no breasts or curves; I definitely was a boy. And this had consequences on my daily life.  
First of all, I could now endure harder physical exercises, like hours of running without stop. The school's baseball club's coach liked to say I was the team's best player (we had won the famous championship by the way, as well as many other ones). This strength was also partly because of the Red Miles I could now totally control, or at least without passing out. No one ever dared to bother me or John, and I'd sometimes use these abilities to protect weaker students from bullies, making others call me their 'guardian Karkangel'. I liked this display of friendship, and was rather proud of myself.  
Second, the girls. I always have seen Natalia as my friend, but when I had seen her on our first day of high school, my eyes couldn't help but peek at her inflated chest every two minutes. John was kind of like this, too, although he mostly liked rear ends. He even once attempted to touch Valerie Serket's bouncy rump, and received a huge slap in the face. Ouch...he had a mark on his face for three days. Dad said it was normal for teenagers (mostly the male ones) to be interested in girls and even fall in love with someone they could later share intimate relationships with and even start a family.  
Like many other boys, I was in need of a mate. These times, something in me was waking up, something instinctive, like when you ride a bike after ten years not doing it, and you slowly learn again to push the pedals though you already know how. It was some kind of desire, not by human definition, but rather an animal reflex: the need to reproduce. It maybe was the only reason why I wanted -and would always want- to cuddle under the blanket...if I ever find someone who isn't scared of my genitalia. Everywhere I went, there were people who were scared about my horns, my teeth, my claws. The only advantage they had was to free benches everywhere I was. Contrary to I who wanted a caring mate, John would rather look for pretty girls, that one type of big butt-nice boobies-charming smile-big butt. And a big butt. As for Jade...she was too young for that.  
When our little sister first came home, I wouldn't leave her crib for more than ten minutes. She was cute, with her little black locks and green eyes, the same buckteeth as John, and her perpetual smile. I would often play with her when our parents were busy; I'd take her on my back, and run like a horse around the house. That's with her that I have discovered I have a weak spot on my horns...at least that's what mom explained me after I woke up on the ground, Jade having squeezed my candy corn nubs a little too strong. Despite that, she was the most adorable thing I've ever seen.  
John flexed his arms, taking bodybuilder poses, exhibiting his crotch just a little too much.

"Look at me, aren't I irresistible?“

"Irresistibly dumb," I chuckled. "You look like...oh."

His boxers were lying on the ground, him having taken them off, and he was attempting to measure his reproductive organ with a ruler.

"John..." I began, blushing.

"-It's just to see...oh, still 4.13 inches."

I giggled. He then handed me the ruler.

"Your turn."

I was a little curious about this to be honest. I pulled my panties down, but didn't see my red tentacle.

"That's weird," John said, looking at my crotch like a goldsmith looks at rubies with specialist eyes. "It looks like it's...hidden inside."

I blushed shamefully as he ran a finger over the red slit between my legs. My 'weird alien dick', as he liked to call it, slipped out. John took his ruler, my hands being to shaky to do anything.

"...10.25 inches," he muttered with amazement. "And...it seems extendible."

He stroked my slimy bulge. I had to cover my mouth to hold back a pleasured moan.

"J...John...", I stuttered. "S...stop..."

He didn't listen, and kept softly rubbing to my great shame, apparently forgetting the fact we were brothers. I tried to make him stop touching me, but my reproduction system was ready to work. My nook was dripping red sticky matter as John kept rubbing. My mind was ready to break, but I found it in me to suddenly slap my brother. He stopped instantly and gazed at me.

"John...please, no. I...we can't..."

He put a finger on my lips to shut me up.

"Kar...I'm sorry. I was just...a bit too fascinated."

"-That's alright...but remember we're brothers. Plus, we're a little too young to... copulate."

"-You seemed to like it though."

I didn't answer. I put my clothes back on and walked out of the bathroom. I was ashamed of what just happened. But...it was normal for brothers to learn how their bodies work together, right?

\---

I sat on the couch, exhausted after the school day. Jade greeted me with a hug and little "Jawn"s that made me smile. I put her on my lap, and turned the TV on.

"Hi John", Dad greeted me. "Karkat isn't with you?"

"-He was a minute ago...he's probably upstairs."

"-You'd better check on him...you know how he his."

Karkat had never left his habit of escaping the house to go play outside, especially between the old stones of the park. We had to admit it was a troll thing and let him do as he pleased, but we couldn't help but worry. I stood up and climbed up to my and Karkat's room. The door was closed; strange, it's usually always open. I softly knocked, no answer. From the other side pf the door, I heard a noise, which sounded like a moan. I slowly opened the door, tiptoed inside...and had to ask myself a question.  
What was the weirder thing: seeing my brother, lying on his bed, pants pulled down and apparently masturbating...

Or the fact he was doing it to a picture of me?

I first thought I was dreaming. Karkat was stroking his weird alien dick with one of the photos we had taken on our first high school day several weeks ago, the one where I was taking most of the place on the frame. With the other hand, he was fingering his red-soaked pussy-like thing. On top of it all, I could hear him mutter between two moans, "John...your fingers...are amazing...aaah..."

He was keeping his eyes closed, to better imagine the scene I guess. I closed the door as silently as I could, and avoided every other noise, to not scare the shit out of him. But I didn't know what to do, so I slowly walked to him, and put my hand on his'. He stopped and glared at me with panicked eyes. I smiled.

"I knew you liked it."

He blushed even redder than he already was. Then he mumbled something.

"...heat period..."

I couldn't hold back a giggle. My brother, having animal problems? These moments were sort of reminders, to make me remember that Karkat wasn't really human. While in heat, dogs would need to fuck a lot to get rid of the feeling, and also have puppies. I could understand what Karkat was feeling.  
Slowly, I reached out to his crotch, and slipped two fingers in his alien vagina. He moaned slightly.

"I'll help you, Karkat. That's what brothers are for, right?"

\---

I hugged him tighter as he fell asleep slowly. His bed was too covered in red matter for him to sleep in.  
At first, I only pleasured him with my hands, but very soon my tongue joined in. We didn't go further, of course; at least...not now. The 'we're brothers' excuse didn't matter now; all that counted for me was that Karkat was happy. Or at least very aroused. His pleasure juices had the taste of cherry syrup, which made me crave it since the first second I tasted it. He said to my great blush that mine tasted a little like sugar. We both had a fun time.

"Karkat...", I whispered into his ear. "Anytime you're in heat...tell me. We'll share the fun together."

He nodded. I kissed him on the forehead, and stroked his horns a little. He purred.

\---

The bird landed on his tree branch, after a difficult travel from Alternia. He had a message for Sentinel.

"Oh no...", the latter said when he finished reading the paper. "It's war! Highbloods are on the way to find the rebel basement!"

"-*chirp*?"

"-Yes, Seaven. Only the heir can save us now, or at least help us to fight them."

"-*whistle chirp*"

"-His Red Miles, if used properly, can destroy an entire army in two or three shots. But the amount of blood used would be...impossible for one person. Hopefully, it also works with other's blood."

"-*trill*"

"-I know you already know all of that. It's just...I'm lonely here."

"-So ask me to join you in your solitude."

Sentinel almost fell off the oak tree. In his 'conversation' with Seaven, he hadn't seen the young troll that was now sitting next to him.

"Are you talking to a bird?"

Silence.

"...you can talk to me, dude."

"-I'm sorry...I don't have the right to talk to you."

"-Well...you just did, right?"

The older troll smiled. The young heir was pretty smart, good thing.

"What's your name?", he asked.

"-Call me Sentinel. And there is Seaven."

"-You mean this hybrid of a seagull and a raven?"

The vexed bird gazed at the young troll with angry eyes.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" the elder asked. "It's almost midnight."

"-Nope. I do what I want. I always thought I was the only troll there."

"-You mustn't tell anyone about my presence here. I have a mission to complete."

"-Is it peeking at me 24/7?"

Another giggle, then the young troll handed his elder a meat sandwich.

"You must me hungry up here. I've never seen you eating or even sleeping."

Sentinel looked at the meal with some defiance before accepting it.

"I have the mission to watch over you in secret...well, not really now that you know of my existence. My featherbeast brings me everything I need...this human food is pretty tasty."

"Who are you working for? The followers of the Sufferer?"

Sentinel almost choked with his sandwich hearing this name. Alternian reflex, he looked around, before remembering they were sitting in a tree in the middle of the Earth night.

"Yes and no.", he answered. "Now please, mister Vantas, you have to sleep now."

"-...'Vantas'? Isn't that a cancer treatment drug?"

"-You never have heard your surname?"

The boy stayed speechless. Karkat Vantas...what a name it was. He held his pendant in his hand, remembering having heard it somewhere. When he still was a wriggler.

'Karkat Vantas, stop crying now and listen to me. If you don't want to take a bath, I will call the evil Handmaid and she'll assure that you stay calm!

-No mommy! No! Please!

-So keep calm, please. Look, it's just water.

-I...scared...

-Don't worry. Nothing will harm you. I promise.'

He chuckled at the memory. Those were good times. He left the troll and his bird and climbed the tree down to his room's window, by which he entered and slipped into his bed. It was still a little wet, but most of the red had disappeared. Holding his green veil against his chest, he slowly fell into a sleep full of birds, wrigglers and red deadly trees.  
Along with the now familiar figure of his deceased mother, with who he was catching up for all of these lost sweeps he spent without her. He was asking her questions about his grandmother, the rebels, but mostly about his father. How and when did she met him, what he looked like, etc. He had to know his story if he wanted to be like him someday. Except for the execution thing.  
Now that he was falling in love little by little with his adoptive brother, he hadn't any reason to die.


	6. My mother

"I just can't believe it..."

"-But it's true, Kat. We're moving out on our own."

The time has come for John and I to spread out our wings and find our way in the adults' world. This had led to a lot of worried conversations between he and I, but he promised me it would be okay. He was of course lying: how could a troll have a social or professional life without scaring the shit out of everyone? How would I ever find a mate with these teeth and horns? And what would our offspring look like? John told me more than once that he would be here to help me, and if people like Natalia could understand and accept me, others could too.  
I hadn't seen her for several months, but then she has reappeared out of the blue, saying she had been missing because of her parents' business trip. That's strange…I'd never seen her parents before. I just now realized that. I have to tell her goodbye before John and I settle in the nearby town.  
I pulled some clothes off the dresser, and found it. The green light veil my grandmother had given me twenty-two years ago. It still smelled like her, and a little like me. I held it against my chest tightly, knowing that if I move on, I might not have the chance to finally enter my origin world that Sentinel kept telling me about. Speaking of him, what would he do? Follow me, or stay near the famous portal between the worlds? Maybe he'd ask his bird to deliver me messages. The troll had became more and more worried with the time, because of the war that was happening between the Emperess and the rebels. Each time I asked him what I could do to help them, he was answering the same thing.

"You're not ready yet."

Each time I wanted to ask when I would be ready, he would stay silent to my great annoyance. He was the only living troll with whom I could talk, but refused to tell me the answers I was seeking. I hadn't gotten any 'visits' from my mother or anyone else for seven years, but sometimes, the familiar voice of a man would whisper to me when I slept. He would tell me how brave I was to live in a world that wasn't mine, how proud he was of me and how much he missed me. These moments were one of the only links to my past, when I was still a young grub.  
I put the veil between two sweaters, neatly folded, and John cuddled me from behind. No one but us were in the room, Jade being at school and our parents doing some errands. He kissed me in the neck, and scratched my horns, making me purr like a cat. I sat on the bed, letting him pull my pants down.  
We have been doing this for years. Every time we could, we would share the pleasure together. I was his adoptive brother, so it didn't really count as incest, but I grew up with him and he always had treated me like his little brother, so the shame was the same as the pleasure. For this reason, I've asked him not to penetrate me. At least...not yet. But this time, he was really insisting, seeing how he was licking my squirming bulge, his fingers twitching in my nook.

"John...please, not now..."

"-C'mon Karkat, we're adults now! Tomorrow we'll move on, but I can't wait...Please..."

I tried to push him off my legs, but he was to fast and climbed on top of me. I felt the temperature rise in my body, which went all numb. Slowly, I reached out to the back of John's head, pulled him closer and kissed him. This first kiss was warm, a little wet, but really good. Still kissing me, he rubbed his dick against my nook, which was covered in red matter. Slowly, he entered inside of me.  
It didn't hurt at all, or at least less than what I thought it would. In just a few minutes, we were just a sweating mass of flesh purring, moaning, begging for more. He rubbed my horns, making me squeak, while I scratched up his back in pleasure. He then sat up, took me on his lap, and, clinging to me, thrusted even deeper inside. I was pouring toothy kisses all other his skin, slightly biting his neck, healing the wounds with my red vapors which were dripping from my shaking fingers. He took my bulge in his hand, and pumped as hard as he could. It was hurting, but the pleasure was taking over. Something was squirming inside of me, something other than John's cock. Some seconds after, I was cumming, squirting all over our legs, my nook tightening to my brother's delight. He came inside of me some seconds after; it was the most amazing feeling ever. I whimpered a little, but I was more than satisfied. My 'womb' was swallowing his tasty fluids, holding them for some unkown reason. He pulled out slowly, kissing me as tenderly as he could. He wrapped an arm around me, lying down next to me.

"Brother..."

I smiled and hugged him back.

" 'rother..."

I had a slight feeling of deja-vu.

"We'd better clean this mess off before our parents or Jade come ba-"

"-Hey guys, I'm home!" Jade voice said from downstairs.

Fuck.

\---

Natalia and I were sitting on the grass, in the park. The sun was traveling down the sky, some stars already shining. John and I would go away tomorrow and maybe not come back before a long time, so Nat and I were sharing these last hours together. She had her head on my shoulder, and a hand on my horns. This has been our little game for years: she was rubbing my head nubs but I hadn't the right to purr. If I do, I lose. Of course, she always won after three seconds at most. I mean, if you fondle a kitten, it will obviously purr, right?

"I really like when you do the cat noise." she chuckled.

"-*moaning purr*"

This only made her scratch my head more, causing even more loud purring. On my fingers, the slight red steam appeared again, showing I was happy. My whole body was still sensitive due to John's demonstration of his amazing lover abilities. His juices had stayed in my body for about an hour before I had to get rid of them. I was doubtful: could I get pregnant with an human, especially my brother? That would be horrendous. But my maternal instincts had taken over as I was asking myself those questions. It would be a good thing to have a baby, to perpetuate my lineage, and maybe my blood's unique powers...

"What are you thinking about, Karkitty?"

I woke up from my thoughts.

"I was thinking about...how cute you are."

I blushed. This was true of course: Natalia was the cutest girl I'd ever seen, but saying that would imply I have feelings for her, and that's where the lie begins. Though I really care for her...  
Too late. I felt one of her hands cupping my face. She nibbled my ear.

"You're cute too, Kitty."

"-Wait, I didn't- mhmmmpf!"

Her lips met mine. The feeling was a little disturbing, as her teeth were pointier than John's, but she pulled me closer to her, and I melted in her arms. She then forced me to lie down in the grass, her hands sneaking under my belt. I crawled away just a little.

"Nat...what does that mean?"

"-You don't want to?"

"-I mean...not here! People could see us!"

"-Nobody will if we're quick."

She pulled my pants down despite my protesting. I nervously looked around while she was giving me one of the most arousing hand-jobs I could ever have in my life. She knew where my sensitive spots were, and that made me squirt out all over her cleavage. She wiped it off with a tissue, and I leaned up to kiss her...only to feel a hand on my throat.  
She was choking me, digging her nails in my neck. I tried to kick her away, but she was too strong. I struggled to breathe, but cut my finger right in time with my claws to use the Red Miles. It hit her right in the chest, pushing her a foot away. I stood up, putting my pants back on, wondering why she wanted to kill me. I saw the blood blades had just torn up a large part of her long-sleeved shirt, revealing her skin.  
It was grey.

"What the...?"

She stood up, and faced me. Then she grabbed her hair, and pulled it off. Under her wig, on black hair, were two pointy horns, shaped like cat ears. The same as...

"Don't you recognize me? Of course not! Even your mother didn't!!" she shouted.

She punched me in the stomach. My healing red aura surrounded me for an instant before I could stand up.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"-You remember your dear mom, the Disciple? Before she met this mutant, she was the slave of one of the highest landdwellers of Alternia. And as the noble Subjuggulator he is, he has the right to use his slaves likes he desires, even for more primal needs..."

"-N...no! You're lying! She...she couldn't have been..."

My heart broke. She cackled evilly.

"Oh, really? Why do you think I look like her so much? Why do you think I'm working for my father because he at least had enough pity for me to raise me, while your mother was frisking in the woods with the mutant rebel? Why do you think I want to kill you, the cherished wriggler, while I didn't even have a regard from her when she had dumped me like garbage?"

"-What do you want from me?"

"-Everything I already have. The Red Miles."

She showed me the tissue stained with my red genetic material.

"This thing is full of your genes. With the Highbloods' technology, it will be a child's play to give the power of the terrifying Red Miles to our soldiers. And it will be the end of the rebels FOREVER!"

I couldn't believe it. The rebels will lose the battle...because of me. Because I was too stupid to fall in this trap: girls. Natalia (was that even her true name?) ran away between the alleys of the park. I couldn't let her go; I followed her, but suddenly felt hands grabbing my shoulders.

"Where do you think you're going?", Sentinel asked.

"-I have to stop her! Let me go!"

"-You're not ready yet! You will die if you return to Alternia!"

I escaped from his grip.

"Listen...this girl, if she does return, she can bring the end of the rebels by my fault! I have to stop her!"

I glared at him with my most convincing eyes.

"It is my task. I have to return."

He sighed, and looked at Seaven. The bird then flew in front of me, as if to show me the path. We coursed for like a minute before stopping in front of a stone.

"What the hell, chicken face?"

He landed on the top of the huge monolith, as if he was waiting. The thing was covered in ivy and climbing plants, but there were some symbols written on the surface. I read the sentences on my pendant, to see if I could still understand the troll language (obviously I could) and read that when the moon hits the white marble while Alternia's ones are aligned at some time of the night, the light from both sides creates a distortion that only an Alternian native could walk through. As for illustrating this, the moon suddenly lit up the stone, which the bird entered without any damage. I carefully reached out to the portal, feeling a strange energy running in my whole body. I took a deep breath, and dived in.

\---

"I'm still worried...he missed dinner without leaving even a short message!", Jade said out of exasperation.

"-I'm sure he's playing somewhere outside without noticing the time running out. He always does that," I suggested.

"-Don't worry, he will come back like he also always does," Mom tried to reassure us. "He's becoming nocturnal these times."

I sighed. As years had gone by, Karkat was behaving more like a member of his species. His instinctive reflexes were taking over his logic, bit by bit. He would growl when he was angry, catch birds like a cat, and even climb over high fences rather than use the door. His 'alien-ness' had been repulsed for years, and as he was becoming an adult, it was waking up. The most flagrant sign of this change was the color of his eyes: instead of the cloudy grey his pupils have been for twenty-two years, there was now a deep, carmine red. His glare was terrifying, even when he was happy. Some nights, he would wake up covered in sweat, crying, and talking in an unknown language which was made of growls and chirping sounds. He wouldn't calm down until I cuddled him tightly, lulling him like a baby.  
We suddenly heard footsteps coming from the door.

"Karkat?", Jade called. "Is that you?"

But it wasn't him that entered the living-room. The stranger was way taller than him, and his horns much pointier. He looked at us all, not listening to my dad's "Who are you?", walked to me. What was he going to do to me? I tried to stay calm as he glared at me with his rust red eyes. I returned his glance. None of us moved. Then slowly, he talked in an inaccurate English, explained me something about Karkat, pails and a troll rebellion. I had some troubles to understand, but I knew it was important. The troll was calling himself Ratter Rodenn, the Sentinel, and saying he was Karkat's secret caretaker. On his shoulder was a weird hybrid bird. He had been sent by Alternian rebels to watch other the heir until he's ready to return in his world.  
But tonight, Karkat had already returned.

\---

The air is thicker. I struggle to breathe. Everywhere I look, there are rocks. Behind me is a huge cobalt-black stone, also engraved with symbols.  
It took a minute to my eyes to become used to the lack of light, but hopefully I could see in the dark quite well. I tried to think about where Troll Natalia would be now. I followed a random path between the rocky landscape, some of these covered in what seemed to be polychromatic blood. Green, orange, golden, blue, a rainbow was forming before me as I was walking. I suddenly heard echoing voices, gunshots and beast noises. I carefully tiptoed to the source of the sounds, and saw a battlefield. On one side, trolls with high-tech weapons and horses, mostly blue-blooded, on the other side, warm-colored trolls with rustic but useful stuff such as swords and bows. I watched them fight, already knowing which side I would be on. I cut my finger, stood up...and fell on the ground, my arms tied to my body by solid chains coming out of nowhere. I turned my head around, and saw Natrollia. Behind her was a purple giant.

"We finally get to meet, mutant," the latter said.

"-Wh...who are you?" I shouted, trying to escape, but the chains were too heavy.

"-Oh, pardon me. I am the motherfucking Grand Highblood, the leader of the rebellion's repression. And I'm gonna motherfucking kill you."

The fighting had stopped. Everyone was staring at me. I heard whispers from both sides. Natrollia took a step forward, and kicked my face. Some trolls tried to rescue me, but the foes killed them on the spot. Guns were pointed at me. This was the end.

"It's over!", Natrollia shouted. "If you die, everyone will!"

She suddenly took a syringe out of nowhere. It was filled with a red shiny liquid.

"This thing, if I inject it to myself, could give me your powers, mutant. You're all gonna die!"

And, laughing, she thrusted the needle in her arm vein. I watched her as she cackled maniacally, convulsed by spasms. The syringe slipped off her fingers and broke on the ground, spilling the rest of the serum. Natrollia fell on all fours, her body shaking even more. Suddenly, blood leaked out of her eyes. She screamed of pain, watching her flesh dissolving around the spot where she had injected the fluid. Slowly, her body covered in bleeding holes, and I watched her die, reduced to a mass of burning flesh, her bones showing under her burnt skin. She looked at the Highblood, who hadn't moved at all.

"Wh...why...", she painfully spoke.

He laughed in delight.

"You're so dumb. No doubt you're the daughter of the savage. Did you really think I would need you anymore since you've given me what I wanted? Die, lowblood."

I heard her crying, her tears melting in the acid leaking out of her wounds. One second after, she had stopped breathing. Makara then took another syringe, this time really containing my genes, and was about to inject it in his arm, when suddenly the little glass container exploded.

"Who did this? Show yourself, motherfucker!"

Despite my chains, I twisted my neck to see what was going on. On a tree branch, a silhouette was standing, holding a bow. It aimed another blue arrow, and fired right in Highblood's leg. He fell on the ground holding his knee, cursing and groaning. The unknown person jumped, and landed right in front of him, ready to fire. A hood was covering their head.

"It's time to die, master."

That voice...

"You don't have the guts to," Makara chuckled. "You'll be killed if you do that, motherfucker."

He then took an arrow right between the eyes, and fell to the ground making, a tremendous noise. All of a sudden, the rebels grabbed their weapons and attacked Highblood's subalterns. The unknown person turned to me, and cut down my chains with a bow shot. My finger still bleeding, I threw a massive rain of blood blades over the soldiers, which ran away out of fear. Then my savior took their hood off.  
She had Natrollia's horns. I hugged her tightly.

"I thought you were dead..."

"-I escaped", my mother said. "Some friends had helped me to live hidden from the Highbloods."

She kissed me on the horns, making me purr.

"You are your father's portrait. He had the same eyes. I'm sorry we couldn't keep you, or even look after you, but-"

I quieted her with a shooshpap.

"It's alright. You don't have to worry so much...mother."

She was crying now. We stayed in this embrace for long minutes, before she stood up.

"Come with me, Karkat. The others need you. And we have eleven sweeps to catch up together."

"-I...I can't right now."

She looked surprised.

"But why?"

"-I...I have a family in the human world..."

"-Karkat! They're not your family, you know. They're humans."

"-I know they're not my genetic relatives, but they have accepted me since the start and have raised me like their child. Let me at least tell them goodbye."

She sighed, then nodded. Together we walked back to the portal, hand in hand.

\---

"Karkat!"John called when he saw me.

He hugged me tightly, sobbing but smiling, joined by my parents and my sister.

"I thought you'd never come back..."

"-But I did."

"-Your troll friend had warned us, and I came here as soon as possible. Please Karkat, let's go home."

"-Wait. I have to return in my world."

My biological mother behind me, my adoptive family before me, I was in a dilemma. I couldn't chose one side without hurting the other. I was at a dead-end either way, but I followed what my heart was saying.

"Mom, dad, John and Jade...thanks a lot for everything you've done. I will never forget you, I promise. But on the other side, there are people that need my help. I can't leave them alone."

The humans wore a saddened face, but they were prepared for this since Sentinel had told them everything. I turned to John as my eyes were leaking pale tears

"John...my brother...you and I have shared a lot of things together. We've been through many moments, good and bad, but you'll understand that what I need isn't on this side of the portal. I'm sorry."

"-Karkat...let me at least come with you.", he asked.

I showed him our parents behind him.

"You already have a family here, John. Troll world is dangerous for you."

On these words, I took my necklace off, and tied it around John's neck. He stroked the pendant, not understanding, then gently kissed me on the cheek.

"Good bye, my brother."

"-Good bye, John. Good bye everyone."

"-We have said we would keep you until you find your parents...and the time has come. Goodbye, Karkat. Even if you're my foster child, you have the space you deserve in our hearts.", Jane sadly said before kissing my forehead, then Jake and Jade.

I hesitated before turning around, as if I was waiting for something to happen. Very slowly, I followed Mother and Sentinel into the portal. I heard John crying, but finally touched the Alternian ground despite my pain. As if to push me in my old world, the pink and the red moons parted away, and the black rock lost its brightness. The door was locked, no turning back possible. I sighed, and sat on a little stone.

"I guess it was the right choice...but I still feel guilty for having left all of my friends."

"-There are a lot of new friends you will find here. You're always welcome among trolls," Sentinel replied.

"-I'm a troll in the human world, I have human-like blood in the troll world...I guess I'll have troubles to find a place there too."

Disciple quieted me with a hug.

"Not if you act as our little leader."

I smiled.

"By the way, Mother..." I asked. "Do you know how to care for children?"

"-Of course! I will take a good care of you, Karkat."

"-It isn't for me that I ask this."

"-Why, then?"

I stayed silent for a second before answering.

"I thought humans and trolls couldn't reproduce together, well...I was totally wrong. How long does troll gestation last, by the way?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who read my fanventure, Zodiacstuck, you'll recognize Ratter Rodenn's cameo. There's an error though: the Sentinel, in the original story, is Weisch Nedumm's ancestor. The familiarity with birds is an argument. But until I have officially revealed Sentinel's name, spoiler reason, I won't correct.


	7. Epilogue - My child

I watched the little wriggler as she was running in the grass, trying to catch some butterflies. Three years already... I often thought about telling John about her, but each time I came to the conclusion it was better like this. I was missing him so much, I was missing my adoptive family, my human friends, and even Natalia. I've heard her true name was Nepeta, and that she had been lying: my mother did care for her, until she had to run away. My half-sister's death had been painfully terrible, but the worst was that she had lived in the same world as me for years, and I wasn't aware of this.

"Dad! Dad!", a high-pitched voice called.

I turned to Joanna, which had finally caught the butterfly, and ruffled her messy hair, calling her a good girl. Soon she would pupate, thus becoming even more adventurous than she already was. Maybe she'll find the portal someday...maybe she'll cross the limit between the two worlds...maybe she'll meet him. And he'll knew she's his daughter, because they have the same eyes and buckteeth. What would happen then? I don't know. But I have to tell him the truth, except that I don't have the guts to. He'd kill me for lying to him, or at least not telling him anything during all these years.  
The wriggler climbed up in my arms, yawning. I kissed her curvy horns as she was falling asleep. Suddenly, some notes arose in my throat. I sat down, leaning back against a tree, and sang the only lullaby I knew.

"You're my little angel fallen from the sky  
Lacking your feathery soft wings,  
I know I'll be forgotten with time  
But you have to know I'll always be with you,  
Don't let distance tear us apart  
I will watch over you until you pass away,  
Keep me in your sweet, pure heart  
Just like you'll stay in mine..."

A red aura shined around her as she was dreaming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little Joanna became the mother of Karkat from [With love, Crabby kitten](http://archiveofourown.org/works/886888).  
> While John's fate is left unknown (although there is proof he has met his daughter and recognized her), his sister Jade did marry the Dad from [Spread out your Wings!](http://archiveofourown.org/works/828552) , and thus is the mother of John "I talk to fairies" and Jane "My brother talks to fairies but he's okay I guess", although she isn't mentioned.


End file.
